I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

How to Travel on an Airplane with Kids

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosureBy Mavis Butterfield on November 11, 2014 · 11 Comments

Now that my kids are older, I don’t really have to entertain them like I did when they were younger. When we do travel together though, we get a chance to see A LOT of exhausted mothers and fathers trying to keep their little ones occupied and out of other passengers hairs. We feel for them, we really do. It’s a lot of work to travel with little ones–in fact, traveling with little ones is more of a trip than a vacation sometimes.

Here’s a couple of tips, if you plan to travel with the kiddos over the holidays that will keep them happy and you sane:

Convince them that they WILL be taking a nap on the plane. However you do this will depend on your child {and of course, reasoning with a child that is too young is impossible}. Perhaps you can tell them they won’t get to do {fill in the blank} when they get to your destination unless they take a nap. Be willing to follow through, though, so at least the ride home will be easier when they know you mean what you say, if they choose not to take a nap.

Embrace technology. Yes, kids watch too much T.V., play too many video games, etc. But, now is not the time to get on that high horse. You are in survival mode. they cannot go out and play in the fresh air {though, you may be tempted to throw them overboard after a long flight}. They are stuck, just like you, so give in, and give them some entertainment. Bring a portable DVD player, and iPad, etc. Download a movie they haven’t seen before, so they will be captivated, for at least an hour of the flight. It’s a small concession in the big picture.

Get new color books, activity books, crayons, markers, etc. Make a big deal about buying them, and then save them for the trip. Get them out ONLY once you are on the plane.

Snacks. Snacks. Snacks. Do not allow a “hangry” child to ruin the flight when it is totally avoidable. Pack enough snacks to get you through the apocalypse–you won’t regret the space it takes up in your carry-on, I guarantee it.

Books. You can either read to your child, or if they are old enough, let them pick out a new book to read on the plane. My little ones were amused for quite awhile when I simply read to them. We would talk in detail about each book, just to stretch out the entertainment value.

Play dough. For slightly older kids, bring a SMALL thing of play dough. Have them mold something and you have to guess what it is–or vice versa, you tell them what to shape, and then they try.

Tea party. What little girl doesn’t love a tea party? Bring tiny plastic tea cups and plates. Pour their juice/water/milk into the tea cups and place their snacks on the plates. It will take up minimal room, and will entertain most little girls for quite awhile.

Card games. Bring a deck of Old Maid or Crazy 8’s. When kids have your undivided attention, they will typically behave–or at least, mine usually did.

If you have really little ones, bring a towel AND a changing pad. You never know where you may have to change them, and a towel can cover the seats a lot better than a changing pad. It drapes and hopefully makes working in super tight quarters a little easier.

Plastic grocery bags. These are priceless when traveling. They can hold soiled clothes, diapers, or become a quick makeshift garbage can. They have a ton of uses, and they crumple down to nothing.

Wet wipes. Even if you are past the diaper stage, you want these. They can clean spills, stick hands, etc. They are a must-have, in general, in my opinion.

Think about travel day clothing. Kids have to remove their shoes and jackets too, so if possible, choose shoes that are easy to remove and put back on. Same goes for clothing–stash jackets in your suitcase if you can. It will make security much easier.

Gum or a binky. Landing and taking off hurts little one’s ears. They can’t help it. So, if you have a baby, make sure to pack their binky, or if you have old enough kids, have them chew gum during take off and landing. They will encourage their ears to pop, lessening the painful pressure.

Demand everyone at least try to go to the bathroom BEFORE take-off. Helping a little one in the airplane bathroom is like trying to shove two people into a hamster ball. It is not fun.

Bring extra clothing for each child. You may not need it, but if you do, you will be super thankful. Plus, if your luggage gets lost, you will be ready to start your vacation without too much inconvenience.

How about you, any travel tips you’ve picked up over the year while traveling with your kids?

Dollar store toys are your friend! We always get a bunch of new small things from there, and every hour or so, let the kids dive into a surprise bag, for a new toy. They are usually small, don’t last long, but who cares, because that’s what you expect from the dollar store toys.

Great tips. I always brought a change of clothes for the babies, but once, the baby threw up on me! So after that, i brought a change of clothes for me as well!

I always bring a ton of snacks. Once on a flight, a mom of 2 toddlers didn’t have any snacks, and the plane was delayed. I’m glad I brought so much, I had extra to share.

Another thing to consider is going thru security lines. My kids were always so upset to give up their “lovey” or their toy car or whatever at the scanner, so telling them ahead will save a lot of tears. Also, when you’re getting everything gathered back up, including the umbrella stroller, don’t slam down your foot to lock it open, until you put your shoes back on. Ow. Still have a scar from that one!

We travelled by air with our daughter starting at age five, and internationally when she was seven. One important thing at that age is to show them how the airplane bathroom works, from how to open and close the door, how to work the toilet (especially how loud it can be), how to wash hands and where to put the paper towels. Show them where the call button is, and explain it is only for emergencies. Assure them that if they accidentally lock themselves in (or deliberately, as my niece did), the flight attendant has a way to unlock the door. (It’s a lever on the outside of the door that is hidden by a raised decorative do-dad.)

We also stressed that polite children do not kick the back of the seat in front of them, or push the call button without parental permission. (Or slam doors/talk loudly in the hall in hotels.)

Our daughter grew up to be an excellent traveller in all situations: on family trips, with the YMCA, and on her college travel abroad program.

I have to tell you that this summer we flew back home to PA from Phoenix via Dallas. On the first leg of our trip, (Phoenix to Dallas) there was a mom travelling with 4 kids, the oldest being about 8, and the youngest and infant. Those kids were angels! Mom was calm and she was prepared! The oldest not only helped with his little brother and sister, and the baby when mom had to attend to one of the younger ones, but he had lots to do, electronic games, ipad, books They had lots of snacks and mom actually had a pizza to feed the kids in flight! I was impressed with mom’s calmness and composure, and the 8 yr. old looked a bit annoyed at times, but he did exactly as his mom asked, and was very good his his younger siblings. People always tell horror stories of kids and flying, but I look at it this way…I”m not too crazy about flying. My ears pop, I feel somewhat nauseated at times, I get nervous when we hit turbulance, and I don’t even want to think about using the restroom! Kids feel the same way, and the younger they are, the harder it is for them to articulate. 🙂

As someone who has been blessed to have travelled a significant amount both as a child and now as a parent of five, I can say that my best advice for the flying with young ones is the following:
1. My secret weapon has always been breastfeeding. During take-off and landing, getting babies/toddlers to nap, calming them down, and through turbulence, it is the best thing I could have done. It helps with the pressure on their ears, and makes them feel comforted regardless of what is going on around them. Packing a scarf is great to use as a blanket or pillow.
2. Try to book flights when your children would be napping or sleeping anyway.
3. Take full advantage of using the option to choose your seats when booking. On many vacations, as long as the flight was not completely full, we were able to block off a section of five seats (this is when we only had four children, one of whom was under the age of 2), effectively leaving one seat open in the middle (two rows of three layout) that no one would reserve since it would mean sitting amongst strangers. We were able to use this to our advantage, because it meant our under-2 would get their own seat for free and was able to sleep in his car seat as opposed to 12 hours on our laps.
4. I second the idea of lots of snacks, entertainment, and new toys. Our children have their own backpacks with their favourite stuffies, a couple of books, and then new add-ones that are a surprise for the flight. With babies, be prepared to do a lot of walking up and down the aisles. A change of clothes is essential as well- we hit bad turbulence on an international flight, and my three year daughter threw up all over herself and my husband right before we were due to land and make a connecting flight with very little time. Packing bathing suits in the carry-ons is also a good idea should your luggage get lost.
5. As long as your children are polite, I find that flight attendants will be extremely gracious in bringing extra drinks, snacks or blankets and accommodating families.

I would also add, don’t feel guilty if your children make a bit of noise. In no way do I advocate letting your kids run wild, be impolite, or make the flight a living hell for anyone else, but they aren’t going to be statues either. Out of all the flying I have done, I would say that the adults and teenagers have been much more of a problem than any child who has ever been on the same flight as me, and that includes crying babies. A little patience and empathy for others goes a long way. 🙂

Yes, pack a clean shirt for the adults too. Baby spit up stinks.
I would buy a cheap pack of stickers from Dollar Tree or Walmart. My toddler son thought it was great to decorate my arms, hands, face, shirt with these stickers. Yeah, I may have looked a little goofy but it was better than nasty looks from people when my son was bored. I once had a lady sitting with us in our row participate because my son loved it so much. Then we would quietly count the stickers as we took them off me. Cheap harmless fun.

Aside from snacks and clean clothes my kids need 2 thins to fly, an iPad and lollipops. I let them watch Disney shows until their eyes bleed and bribe them with lollipops to do what needs to be done. My kids will do anything for a lollipop. I promise I’m a better Mom in solid ground but one day of junk and TV won’t hurt them.

When my son was little 27 years ago I would let him crawl or walk around the airport before we got on the plane so he could burn off some energy. I told him he had to be good or the pilot would come out and not be to happy with him not behaving. Also if he was good he would get a surprise later. I always brought a new toy to give him before the drink service. He also played his Nintento games, had snacks, colored, I read books and so on. Also it is a good idea to have earphones for them so everybody else doesn’t have to listen to their games or movies. I’m surprised at how many parents forget that.

Love seeing all these great suggestions for traveling with kids. I did my share and think the kids and I did a pretty good job of keeping things under control. My worst flying experience was flying from Philadelphia to LA with a seat kicker behind me. Mom had 3 kids with her and was on her own so I had a certain amount of sympathy but she did not plan well. I asked politely……twice……if she could get the little one (I’m saying little one – I’d guess 7 yrs. old) doing something else and was treated to the “YOU TRY TRAVELING WITH 3 KIDS!” response. Knowing that telling her I had would not add anything constructive to the exchange, I asked the flight attendant if I could switch seats but it was a sold out flight. So I spent the entire flight (6.5 hours) wishing I could be anywhere but where I was.

That list is perfect! When I travel with my boys (now only every 2 years to visit family), we take all of that.

I joke that my 2-section backpack is 1/2 full of snacks and 1/2 full of toys/activities. My husband gets the diaper stuff and the spare clothing. Though hopefully by our next trip, we’ll be out of diapers.

I also take some earplugs for nearby passengers, though we’ve never needed them.